Day-To-Day Life as a Lead Generating, Hopefully Inspiring, Copywriter.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Cliches

Ooh, touchy subject - and with good reason.

Cliches in copywriting are very often met with groans and disapproval, and why? Because they've been heard so many times before. Not much good if a client is looking for a unique piece...

So you need to think outside the box. Oops.

But do they work? Obviously they do (or did once), or they wouldn't be so well known in the first place, but can we seriously get away with using them now? It depends, sometimes they look like a real cop-out - as if you couldn't be bothered to find the right words - and that will never do when selling your creativity. Your client deserves better.

However, although hard to believe, there are times when they fit perfectly and my advice is to ask yourself these questions:

Would you enjoy reading it for the first time (and not laugh)?

Would you buy a product if the spiel was cliched?

Does it make your partner/friends cringe when they read it?

Trust your instincts, if you're doubtful, rewrite it. The feedback from your client will soon tell you if you made the right choice.